Carbs Count

Let’s talk about carbs. Because for many of us, they’re the comfort foods we reach for when we're tired, stressed, or just trying to get through the day. Think bread, pasta, crackers, chips, cookies, even that “healthy” granola bar.

Carbohydrates aren’t bad. In fact, your body needs some carbs to function well. But too many, especially the processed, fast-digesting kind, can lead to some pretty frustrating (and sneaky) health issues.

Let’s break it down in plain English.

1. Carbs Give You Energy, But Too Much = Energy Rollercoaster

Carbs break down into glucose (sugar), your body’s go-to fuel. But here’s the catch: if you’re constantly eating refined carbs like white bread, pasta, pastries, or even fruit juice, your blood sugar spikes up fast—and then crashes.

Example: You eat a bagel for breakfast. You feel great for an hour. Then? Sluggish, irritable, maybe even shaky by 10:30 AM. So you grab more carbs (a granola bar or a latte), and the cycle repeats.

Over time, these constant sugar highs and lows can leave you exhausted, foggy, and moody. You’re feeding yourself, but you’re not fueling yourself in a steady, sustainable way.

2. Too Many Carbs Can Make Weight Loss Harder

Here’s where the story gets sticky. When your body gets more glucose than it needs for immediate energy, it stores the extra… as fat.

And it’s not just about calories in vs. calories out. Yes, portion size matters—but the type of calories matters just as much.

Example: 300 calories of soda gets processed very differently than 300 calories of salmon and broccoli. The soda spikes insulin (your fat-storing hormone) and leaves you hungry again. The salmon and veggies keep you full, satisfied, and metabolically happy.

Over time, a high-carb diet, especially one rich in refined carbs, can cause weight to creep up, even if you feel like you're not overeating.

3. Risk of Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes

When your body is exposed to too much glucose over and over, it starts to resist insulin’s message to take that sugar into your cells. That’s called insulin resistance—and it’s the first step toward prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Think of insulin like a key trying to open a locked door (your cells). When there’s too much sugar coming in too often, the door gets jammed. Sugar builds up in your blood instead of getting used for energy. That’s when serious health problems start.

The good news? This process is often reversible with diet and lifestyle changes.

4. It Affects Your Cholesterol, Too

Here’s a surprising truth: Eating too many carbs (especially sugar and white flour) can mess up your cholesterol even more than eating fats.

How? A high-carb diet can increase triglycerides and LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and reduce HDL (“good” cholesterol).

A daily diet of bagels, muffins, and pasta, even if it’s “low-fat”, can silently increase your heart risk over time.

Quality Over Quantity: Not All Carbs Are Equal

Let’s be clear: you don’t need to cut out all carbs. What matters is the type and timing.

Choose carbs that come from nature, not a factory. These include:

• Vegetables (non-starchy ones like spinach, broccoli, zucchini)
• Berries
• Beans and lentils
• Whole grains like quinoa or oats (in moderation)
• Sweet potatoes

These carbs come with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants that support your metabolism, gut, and brain.

On the flip side, limit the ultra-processed stuff. If it comes in a box or a bag with a barcode, it’s probably not the best choice:

• White bread, pasta, and rice
• Sugary cereals
• Crackers, chips, pastries
• Sodas, sweetened coffee drinks, fruit juice

The Emotional Side: Carbs and Cravings

Carbs light up the brain’s pleasure centers which is why they’re so comforting. But too much of them can actually increase cravings, not satisfaction.

Example: You eat a cookie to feel better. It gives you a dopamine hit. But 30 minutes later, you want another cookie. And maybe a nap.

This cycle can lead to emotional eating, brain fog, and feeling like your willpower is broken (spoiler alert: it’s not - you’re just working against your biology).

What You Can Do - you can have your cake and eat it too!

Several years ago I discovered Glucose Goddess (aka Jessie Inchauspé). If you haven’t heard of her, run, don’t walk, to follow her on Instagram and read her book, Glucose Revolution. She speaks of the importance of regulating glucose because spikes in blood sugar affect nearly every system in the body, and most people don’t realize just how deeply this impacts their health, mood, and long-term well-being (as we discussed above). She offers hacks you can use to minimize the effects of carbs on your blood sugar, and I use many of them daily. Here are some of my faves:

1. Eat your vegetables (fiber) first when possible. Jessie gives an example in her book that makes so much sense to me. Imagine your stomach as a bathroom sink. If you eat carbs first, they’ll go down the drain (through your system) very fast, leading to a glucose spike. However, if you eat fiber first, it creates a mesh-like lining which causes the carbs to move through much more slowly, keeping your glucose steady. So if you have a plate of chicken, rice, and broccoli, ideally, you’d eat the broccoli first, then the chicken and then the rice. Of course, if it’s a bowl of these ingredients all mixed together, don’t sweat it. Use the hack when you’re able and it’s easy.
2. That brings me to the next hack which is to have a vegetable starter. If you’re eating a grain bowl and it’s too hard to eat the veggies first, start with a salad or some carrots or half an avocado. And especially if you’re having a meal that doesn’t contain fiber like pizza, use this hack. Enjoy your pizza, but eat a salad first. It makes all the difference!
3. Eat a savory breakfast. I think most people know cereal and pastries aren’t healthy breakfast options. But many people still think oatmeal is a nutritious way to break your fast. Unfortunately, oats are very high in carbohydrates, and often it’s eaten with sugar or dried fruit which only makes it worse. It can be part of a healthy breakfast if you have a veggie starter or even a veggie omelette to start.
4. Save sweets for dessert. One of my favorite afternoon snacks used to be a latte and a shortbread bar from a local cafe. That, of course, is a recipe for a glucose spike. Sweet desserts should be eaten at the end of a meal - a meal that hopefully includes plenty of fiber, protein and fat. This will greatly slow down the absorption of glucose by your cells. So you can have your cake and eat it too!
5. Move for 10-15 minutes after you eat. Using your muscles assists your cells in soaking up the glucose. Take a walk outside, do some squats, walk up and down your stairs.

Bottom Line

Too many carbs, especially the refined kind, can affect your energy, weight, mood, cholesterol, and long-term health. But this isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness and gentle shifts that give your body what it truly needs.

You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to begin.

Here's to carbs that love you back!

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